Once Before, Never Again
by pandorabox82
Summary: Andy had no idea what had possessed her to send those flowers to Miranda. But would the off-hand gesture lead to the fulfillment of her heart's desire? Movie-verse Mirandy story


Seeing Miranda on the street had reminded Andy just how much she missed the frenetic pace of _Runway_. It had been less than a month and her new normal felt so weird. She still anticipated a call from Miranda at three in the morning, ordering her to make the impossible possible.

Still and all, Miranda had ensured she got the job at the newspaper, and that was worth some recognition. On her way home from work that evening, she stopped in at a still open florist. "I need to send a bouquet of flower to a former mentor of mine," she said to the clerk.

"All right, did you have something particular in mind?"

"Sort of. I want something messy, something loud. A profusion of color. But no freesias, she hates those." The clerk nodded and began to pick out flowers as Andy filled out the card to go with said bouquet.

_I remembered you don't care for freesias. Isn't it amazing what we remember about people. Thank you for the positive referral you gave. After the way I left things, I really appreciated it. Andréa_

Andy looked up to see the clerk arranging the flowers she'd chosen in a vase and smiled. Miranda may not like them, but she had to do something kind. "How does this look, miss?"

"Perfect." She handed the card over to the woman who stuck it on one of those clear plastic sticks and shoved it amidst the blooms. "I'd like it delivered by quarter to nine tomorrow morning, if possible."

"That should be no problem. Who is it going to?"

"Miranda Priestly." The clerk's eyes grew large and Andy felt herself shrugging slightly. "I'd like them delivered to her office at Elias-Clarke."

"O-of course." The woman eyed the bouquet in terror and Andy knew what was running through her head.

"And you are not to touch one blossom in that arrangement. That's all." They finished the transaction and Andy headed home, feeling slightly better now that she'd tried to make amends for her behavior in Paris. Though she tried not to question too deeply why it had been flowers and not just a letter.

She'd barely settled behind her desk the next morning when Sara called out to her. "Line one for you, Andy. He sounds in a hurry."

Andy picked up her receiver and pressed the flashing button. "Andy Sachs here."

"Aren't you just a naughty vixen, Six."

"Nigel! I take it she hated the flowers?"

'No, she loved them, but she'll never admit it. Too gauche, you know. And they couldn't have arrived on a better day. Her divorce from Stephen was finalized yesterday."

"So soon?"

"When you cheat on someone like Miranda Priestly, well, don't expect things to be long and drawn out. Listen, I have to head into a meeting in two minutes. Let's meet for drinks tonight, say about eight? Meet me in front of Elias-Clarke and we'll head out from there."

Andy smiled in pure pleasure. "That sounds wonderful. I'll see you then."

"Great! See you tonight, Six."

She hung up the phone, still smiling. She'd always liked Nigel. They'd been able to confide little things to each other, and she didn't have anyone like him here at the paper yet. She doubted she ever would, he really was one of a kind.

Andy went through the motions of her day. It was so odd. She was doing what she'd always wanted, what she'd loved since high school, and yet, and yet… There was something missing, something she couldn't put her finger on. After lunch, she had returned to her desk to find a vase holding a single blue rose sitting there. There was no note, no card, and she wondered who could have sent her something so lovely.

She went back to her apartment after work to write for herself for a few hours. There was a story burning a hole through her brain and she was trying desperately to get it all down before the flame went out. At quarter after seven, she left the apartment and caught a cab over to her former workplace. It didn't take as long as she had hoped and she was soon pacing out front, waiting for Nigel.

Andy wasn't really paying attention to where she was going, and so she never noticed the person standing in front of her until she bumped unto them. "I'm so sorry," she began as she looked up into ice blue eyes.

"Hello, Andréa."

"Miranda! Where's Nigel?" She tried to appear calm, but inside, her heart was racing.

"There was a last minute emergency that came up, so he sent me to make his apologies. Unles…"

Andy sincerely hoped the next words out of the woman's mouth would be something akin to 'You want to go out with me' and she prompted her. "Yes?"

"You'd care for a night cap at my home. The girls are at their father's for the weekend, and I can assure you that I have much better liquor than you'll find here in a bar." Andy nodded dumbly, and Miranda smiled at her. "Excellent. Roy's waiting for us."

With a soft hand on the small of her back, Miranda led Andy over to the waiting Mercedes. Andy slid in and shivered slightly from a mixture of anticipation and fear. Which was ridiculous, she knew. She couldn't be excited by the possibility of getting drunk with Miranda. She should despise her after everything that went on. And yet…

"Are you enjoying your job at the _Mirror_?" Miranda suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

"So far, yes. I'm doing a lot of the grunt work, but once I prove myself, I'm sure I'll get better assignments."

Miranda nodded and slid closer to Andy, their knees brushing lightly as Roy drove on. By the time they reached the townhouse, Andy was having trouble thinking, focusing on the feel of Miranda brushing against her.

Roy opened the door for them and Miranda slid out first, holding her hand out to Andy. She took it and Miranda pulled her flush to her side. Andy had to suppress a gasp as she was led into the house. They bypassed the study where she had normally met with Miranda and went up the stairs to a private sitting room.

"Miranda?" she asked softly as she sank down on the loveseat.

"Yes, Andréa?" she responded as she took hold of a decanter of amber liquid. Andy shrugged, suddenly not wanting to press her luck with the woman. Instead, she smiled and accepted the tumbler held out to her. Just as she took a sip, Miranda met her eye. "Why did you send me those flowers?"

Andy swallowed hard, staring at Miranda. "I wanted to. You deserved some recognition for what you did for me. I can't afford couture or jewelry, but even the most beautiful flower is not out of my means."

"And they were you. I knew even before I read the card that they were from you. Only a silly girl such as you would send me something like that. It fit your aesthetic, not mine."

"I know, and you should have seen the look of terror in the florist's eyes when I told her who the flowers were for." Andy smiled at the thought and watched Miranda smile back. It was breathtaking and an involuntary sigh spilled from her lips.

"Andréa…" Andy gulped down the rest of her drink, trying to ignore the nervous fluttering in her stomach. She'd always known, from the moment Miranda had entered her life, that this was what she'd wanted. Leaning forward, she closed her eyes, hoping this was what Miranda wanted, too.

Soft lips captured hers in a searing kiss. It was more than she'd ever expected and Andy instantly wrapped her arms around Miranda's neck, holding her there.

The kiss was too short, but Andy was panting when Miranda pulled away. "More." It was a demand, not a request, and Andy wondered at her boldness. The other woman just chuckled slightly before kissing her once again. Andy nearly lost all rational thought when Miranda cupped her breast, thumbing the nipple absently.

"My bedroom," she whispered after that kiss had ended and Andy nodded. They stood and she was led into a sumptuous bedroom. "Kiss me again," she demanded this time, and Andy smiled wickedly. Pulling down the neckline of Miranda's blouse, she kissed her on her left collarbone, listening to her moan in pleasure. "So, that's how you want to play this," she murmured, burying a hand in Andy's hair.

Andy moaned as Miranda's free hand wandered down to cup her ass, pulling her close. "Miranda, please…"

"Please?" She said it in a gently mocking tone and Andy could only nod. "Please, what?"

"Kiss me. Fuck me." Miranda raised an eyebrow at her request, her smile growing ever wider. Unable to stop herself, Andy began to unbutton the blouse Miranda wore, pushing it off her soft, white, shoulders. "I just want to feel you, have you pressed close to me," she whispered, placing a tender kiss on the swell of the other woman's breast. The skirt went next, and Andy stepped back to see Miranda.

The lilac LaPerla lingerie only served to inflame Andy more and she growled lowly, moving forward to capture Miranda's lips in a bruising kiss. Vaguely, she felt hands tearing at her own clothes, pushing and pulling garments aside to bear her to Miranda. Feeling naughty, Andy slipped her hands down to cup Miranda's ass, pulling her all the more closer as they fought for dominance with their mouths. "Andréa…" she moaned as they came up for air once more.

"Yes?" she replied as she unclasped her bra, pulling it away from Miranda's warm flesh. The move was copied on her and then Miranda was pulling them over to the bed. She sat down heavily and looked up at Andy. It looked to her like there were tears in the other woman's eyes and she quickly sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist to draw her close. "What is it?"

"I don't want to fuck. I want to feel." In that moment, Andy lost her heart to the woman and she smiled gently. Leaning forward, she pressed a butterfly kiss to Miranda's lips before mapping out her face with the same tender busses. Somehow, they ended up lying on the bed, Andy on top, and she went with it, covering Miranda with sweet feather light kisses. "Oh, Andréa…"

She nuzzled her face into Miranda's breasts, drawing one of the erect nipples into her mouth. She figured she was doing something right, as Miranda buried a hand in her hair, holding her close. Andy suckled on the tight bud, using what she liked done to her as a guide with Miranda.

The little gasps and moans that poured from the woman's mouth drove Andy crazy and she tugged Miranda's hand down to her vulva. It was as if the woman knew what she wanted as she slipped her finger's beneath the fabric of her panties to stroke the wet flesh found there. "Oh god, Miranda," she exclaimed, letting go of the nipple to arch against her lover. Her legs parted, giving Miranda better access.

There was a sweet, shy, hesitancy to Miranda's caresses and Andy couldn't stop her hips from tipping forward into the faint touches. "Do you want more, Andréa?"

"Yes, please."

"Will you show me what you want?" Andy smiled down at her and nodded before rolling onto her back.

"I like it when my lover kisses me here." She guided Miranda's hand to her breast. She bent and placed an almost chaste kiss on the peak. "And I like it when they thumb my clit." Miranda's face reddened and Andy reached up to cup her cheek tenderly. "Do words like that bother you?"

"No, I just…This is new for me." She pursed her lips, looking as if the admission pained her.

"Whatever you do will be fine, Miranda. You can't really mess up sex. Especially when you feel so good." She arched up to kiss Miranda once more, pulling her down on top of her. "So soft, so lovely," she murmured, running her hands through Miranda's beautiful hair, tugging absently as the woman kissed her way down her neck.

"So, this feels good?" Miranda asked as she drew one achingly hard nipple into her mouth, scoring it with her teeth.

"Yes!" Andy heard Miranda laugh lowly before she began to suckle on the nipple. Their hands met on the waistband of her panties and Miranda tugged them down her legs, helping Andy to slip them off. "Touch me, right there," she panted out as she felt Miranda rub her fingers along her lower lips.

"Andréa," she whispered as she kissed her way down her body, hovering above her mound. "Do you want this?"

There was no room for rational thought in her brain at the moment and she could only nod and pull her lover's head down. Miranda took the hint and began to eat her out. It felt wonderful and she couldn't stop herself from bucking her hips to get in closer contact with the woman's wonderfully talented tongue. "Miranda!" she screamed as she came, her fingers clenched tightly in the spread.

A quiet sob escaped her lips before she could stop it and Miranda sat up to look at her, concern on her face. "Andréa?"

"It's nothing, Miranda," she gasped out, still trying to catch her breath, She held up her arms, wanting to feel the warm, giving, flesh on hers once again. Miranda shook her head slightly, still looking at her in puzzlement. Andy felt her heart shatter in that moment and turned on her side, curling up into a tight ball before giving in to the tears stinging her eyes. She had never imagined she could feel so used by someone and still ache for their embrace.

Through the haze of her sorrow, she felt a warm hand come to rest on her shoulder. Pulling away from the gentle touch, she scooted towards the edge of the bed, eager to escape. "Andréa, don't leave me." Andy heard the fear and longing in Miranda's voice and stilled her movement, waiting for her lover's next move. "Stay with me." Miranda's body was soon spooning against her own, her arms holding her close. "Once before. Never again."

Those four words melted the ice around Andy's heart and she turned to face her Miranda. "Never again," she whispered before kissing Miranda softly. "Hold me?" Miranda nodded and Andy snuggled into her.

Sleep quickly stole over her as she felt Miranda caress her back, mapping her body and making it hers. _Never again would she give up this bliss_, was her last thought of the night.


End file.
